Tool for dispensing, clamping, and cutting flexible strands



March 13, 195 1 L. A. FRUM TOOL FOR DISPENSING, CLAMPING, .AND CUTTING FLEXIBLE STRANDS Filed Jan. 13, 1950 L m r) 212 J71 fizz/'22 Z 1. W

Patented Mar. 13, 1951 TOOL FOR DISPENSING, CLAMPING, AND CUTTING FLEXIBLE STRANDS Lonnie A. Frum, Clarksburg, W. Va.

Application January 13, 1950, Serial No. 138,399

7 Claims. (01. 30-125) This invention relates to a tool particularly adapted to be used in the neon sign trade for holding a spool or roll of flexible wire used to fasten glass neon tubes to standout posts or tube supports and has for its primary object to provide a tool of relatively simple construction which may be utilized to hold a large supply of such wire and by means of which desired lengths of the wire may be extracted therefrom and cut off and which will ordinarily clamp the end of the strand in a convenient position to be grasped for withdrawing additional wire from the tool.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool capable of being conveniently carried and easily operated for cutting oif lengths of wire or other flexible strands of any desired length and which may be conveniently employed or operated while wearing gloves thereby greatly facilitating the work of neon sign servicemen out of doors and in cold weather.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a tool which may be utilized for accomplishing all of the operations requiring a tool and in connection with the mounting of neon tubes.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing .the tool in its normal position;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary central sectional view thereof taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section looking from left to right of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but looking from right to left of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an end elevational View of the tool looking from the top toward the bottom of Figure 1, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the structure as illustrated in Figure 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the wire dispensing, clamping and cutting tool in its entirety is designated generally I and includes a hollow handle 8 which is preferably but not necessarily cylindrical in cross section and which has a closed end 9 and an open externally threaded opposite end I0.

A cap or closure II is detachably mounted on the open end Ill and has an internally threaded flange I2 for detachably engaging the externally threaded end ID. The cap II is provided with a central opening I3 and is internally thickened therearound and provided with a concave inner portion I4 which is disposed around the opening I3. An elongated clamping jaw I5 projects outwardly from the cap II at an angle to the axis of the handle 8, as best illustrated in Figure 2. Said clamping jaw I5 has flanges I6 projecting from the side edges thereof and disposed at right angles thereto. The jaw I5 and flanges I6 are provided with outturned flange portions H at corresponding ends thereof which seat against the outer side of the cap II and are secured thereto by fastenings I8.

A movable clamping jaw I9 is provided with corresponding extensions 20 which project from portions of the side edges of the jaw I9 and which extend substantially at a right angle thereto. The extensions 20 like the flanges it are disposed substantially parallel and are spaced to straddle said flanges IS. The flanges I5 are provided with aligned openings 2| for receiving the ends of a spacer sleeve 22 which extends therebetween and the bore of-which aligns with openings, not shown, in the extensions 20 for receiving the shank of a headed bolt 23 which extends through the sleeve 22 and through said extensions 20 and which carries a nut 24 on its threaded end. The sleeve 22 forms a bearing for the bolt 23 to .permit the extensions 20 to swing relatively to the flanges I6 for swinging movement of the jaw I9 toward and away from the jaw I5, as illustrated in full and dotted lines in Figure 2.

The jaw I9 is provided with an integral extension extending beyond the end thereof, provided with the extensions '20 and forming an operating lever 25 which projects along a portion of the handle 8 and normally in diverging relationship thereto. A portion of the handle 25 is struckout to form an inwardly extending resilient tongue 26 which extends toward the jaw l9 and which is disposed between the lever 25 and the cap I I and a portion of which slidably and yieldably bears against a part of the flanged portion IT. The movable jaw I9 is provided with a longitudinally extending struck out strip forming a resilient tongue 21 which extends toward the outer, free end of the jaw I9 and which is cut olf to provide an opening 28 beyond its free end and adjacent the free end of the jaw I9. A lip 29 is struck out from the stationary jaw I5 and extends outwardly loosely through the opening 28 and has an opening 30 formed therein, near its secured end. The stationary jaw I5 is also provided with an opening 3I which is spaced inwardly from the lip 29. The hollow handle 8 forms a container adapted to contain a spool or roll of wire as seen at 32 or other flexible material. One end of the roll strand-32 extends outwardly through the opening l3 between the flanges I6 and is passed outwardly through the opening 3I thence through the opening 30 and extends outwardly between and beyond the free ends of the jaws I5 and I9.

The extensions 20 form blades the upper edges of which are beveled on their outer sides and adjacent. their outer ends to iorm cutting edges 33. Theflanges l 6 have upwardly inclined edges 34 which are beveled on their inner sides to form complementary cutting edges. The edges 33v and 34 of the adjacent biades 28 and flanges 15 are normally disposed in outwardly diverging relationship when the movable jaw is held by its spring 26 in a closed position as seen in Figures 1 and 2. When the lever 25 is pressed toward the handle 8 the edges 33 move across the edges 34 to function similar to shears, as illustrated in dotted lines. in Figure 2 and it will be readily apparent that said complementary edges 33- and 3 3' may be employed for cutting off thestrand 32- in any desired length.

Thehandle bottom 9 is preferably provided with an outwardly projecting socket 35 for receiving the shan; end of a tool bit 36 which may have any suitable blade, such as the screwdriver 3'? at its opposite end. Two sides of the shank 36 are preferably suitably cut to provide a file 38. The shank end which engages the socket 35 is. transversely recessed as seen at 33 to contain a spring pressed ball 49 which seats in a recess 4! of the socket 35 and for releasably holding the tool shank 38 therein.

The tool I with the tool shank 36 provides a combination tool as a. unitary structure which may perform all of the functions required in attaching or. detaching a neon tube. The wire or strand 32: may be withdrawn from the handle 8 by exerting a pull on, the exposed end thereof for pulling it through the handle against the pressure exerted thereon by the spring tongue 21 which yieldably holds the wire in gripping engagement with the jaw. 15 or by exerting a pressure on the lever 25 for moving it toward the. handle 'i, the movable jaw I9 and with it the spring clamping tongue 2'! may be displaced out of engagement with the wire. 32, so. that the. wire can be freely withdrawn from the tool 1 and by placing any desired portion thereof between complementary cutting edges 33 and 34 and by then moving the lever 25 to its. dotted line position of Figure 2, a length of the wire or strand of any length may be readily cut off. A hole 42 to receive a chain or tether, not shown, is provided in the lever 2 5.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and, may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I' claim as my invention:

1'. A tool for holding, dispensing, clamping and cutting a flexible strand comprising an, elongated hollow handle adapted to contain a roll or spool, of afiexible strand and having an open end, a. detachable closure for said open end having an opening therein through. which an end of. the strand extends, a stationary clamping jaw supported'by and projecting outwardly from the closure and having. an opening therein, through strand therebetween, said jaws having angularly extending flanges pivotally connected to one another and forming the pivotal mounting of the movable jaw 0n the stationary jaw, and said flanges having complementary cutting edges combining to form co-acting shear blades which are movable toward closed or cutting positions by the pivotal movement of the movable jaw away from the stationary jaw for cutting oil" a part of said flexible strand.

2. A tool as in claim 1, said movable jaw having an extension forming a lever disposed along and spaced from. the handle and movable toward said handle for displacing the movable jaw away from the stationary jaw and for executing the shearing operation of said cutting edges.

3. A tool as in claim 1, said movable jaw having an extension forming a lever disposed along and spaced from the handle and movable toward said handle for displacing the movable jaw away from the stationary jaw and for executing the shearing operation of said cutting edges, said lever having a struck out resilient tongue yieldably bearing against a part of the tool and forming said spring means for biasing the movable jaw toward a clamping position.

4. A tool as in claim 1, said movable jaw having an opening adjacent its outer, free end, said stationary jaw having a struck out lip beyond the opening thereof and which is loosely receivable in the opening of the movable jaw, said lip having an opening therein through which the strand loosely extends.

5. A tool as in claim 1, said movable jaw having a struck out spring tongue yieldably biased toward the stationary jaw for yieldable engagement with a portion of the strand.

6. In combination with an elongated container adapted to contain a rolled flexible strand and having an open end, a closure for said open end having an opening therein through which an end of the strand loosely extends, and pair of pivotally mounted shear blades supported on said closure and spaced outwardly therefrom including. a stationary shear blade and a movable shear blade for cutting on lengths of the strand, said stationary shear blade having an angular flange forming a. stationary clamping jaw, said movable shear blade having an angular flange forming a. movable. clamping jaw, said strand extending between portions of the clamping jaws, and spring means for urging the movable clamping jaw toward the stationary clamping jaw and the cutting edge of the movable shear blade away from the cutting edge of the stationary shear blade.

'7. A tool as in claim 6, and a lever forming an extension of the movable shear blade and adapted to be displaced toward said container for displacing the movable jaw away from the stationary jaw-.-

LONNliEl A. FRUM.

REFERENCES CITED The following, references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 725,232 Earnest Apr. 14, 1903 1,010,357 Forst Nov. 28, 1911 1,085,289 Neubert Jan. 27, 1914 

